Washington (CNN) - Up to 800,000 federal workers faced the prospect of life without a paycheck as Day One of the government shutdown kicked in, while Democrats and Republicans persisted in talking past at each other without actually talking to each other in order to end the nation's latest fiscal crisis.

The Republican-led House offered its latest gambit on Tuesday night but failed in separate votes to approve piecemeal funding for three specific programs - the District of Columbia, veterans affairs, and national parks. The votes required a two-thirds majority for passage, which required hefty Democratic support to have a chance. That did not materialize.

On CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," the New York congressman said the ongoing government shutdown proves the Texas Republican's "defund" strategy never had a chance of stopping President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Washington (CNN) - Sen. Ted Cruz apologized to a group of Filipino-American veterans on Tuesday for comparing his 21-hour quasi-filibuster to the Bataan Death March.

Inside the senator's Washington office, Cruz told Celestino Almeda, 96, and Jesse Baltazar, 93, that he was sorry for invoking one of the darkest chapters of World War II on the Senate floor last week.

CNN's GUT CHECK | for October 1, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DAY ONE…

OBAMA BLASTS 'RECKLESS' GOP WITH HEATED LANGUAGE… President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged House Republicans to “reopen the government,” saying they “don't get to hold the entire economy hostage over ideological demands” of defunding or dismantling Obamacare. LINK

REPUBLICANS TRY TO TURN THE TABLES: “It's pretty clear to me, at least at this point, that neither the Senate Democratic Majority nor the president of the United States have any interest whatsoever in entering into any discussions about how to resolve this impasse,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

GOP’S NEXT MOVE: House Republican leadership sources tell CNN they plan to vote on a series of piecemeal bills to fund certain parts of the government: Department of Veterans Affairs, national parks as well as allowing the District of Columbia the ability to use their own revenue to continue operating. (Sen. Ted Cruz floated this idea Monday on The Situation Room – see what he had to say in Hot Sots)

Washington (CNNMoney) - Tens of thousands of federal workers came to work on the first day of the government shutdown Tuesday to sign furlough paperwork and turn on their out-of-office voicemail and email.

A few lucky ones discovered they were able to stay on the job for at least a few more days.

In 1995 and 1996, disagreement over federal spending levels between the Republican-controlled Congress - led by House Speaker Newt Gingrich - and then-President Bill Clinton led the government to partially shut down twice.

Washington (CNN) - Even as furloughed civilian Defense Department workers streamed out of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel began working half a world away to get all 400,000 furloughed personnel globally back to work.

“Hagel is looking to get as many people back to work as soon as he can,” a senior defense official told CNN on Tuesday.

Washington (CNN) - It's Day One of the government shutdown and both political parties are blaming each other.

After the Democratic-controlled Senate voted on Tuesday for a fourth time to reject a measure passed by the Republican dominated House to dismantle the new health care law, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once again blamed the shutdown on the GOP.FULL POST